5-star CG Jalen Coleman commits to Illinois

If you can’t get one Jalen, why not get the other?

Weeks after Illinois missed out on point guard Jalen Brunson, John Groce got commitment from five-star combo guard Jalen Coleman — the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2015 class, according to 247sports.com.

Coleman’s commitment brings in Illinois’ highest-rated recruit under Groce and bumps the rank of the class up to sixth best in the nation, behind Arizona, Louisville, Florida State, Syracuse and Ohio State.

At 6-foot-3, Coleman is deadly from range and could finally be the answer to Illinois’ impending point-guard problem. And with Tracy Abrams redshirting for the 2014 season after tearing his ACL, a veteran will be around to help refine Coleman’s talent on the court.

Coleman joining commits D.J. Williams and Aaron Jordan — four-star recruits and Illinois natives — in the 2015 class looks good for Illinois, but it doesn’t mean the recruiting job is done.

Coleman onboard will likely influence the decision of five star point guard Jawun Evans, but that doesn’t mean Illinois landing him is out of the question. With Coleman’s versatility as a combo guard, there is always potential for him to slide over while Evans takes over at point guard.

Elijah Thomas was also on campus last weekend, where Groce’s suave recruiting magic helped put Illinois at the top of Thomas’ list. The addition of the five-star center from Texas would easily put the 2015 Illini in the talks to be the best class in the nation.

But while there are certainly more decisions to make — and there will likely be more hearts to break — chalk today up as a win for Illinois.

As Coleman said in his Twitter announcement, he is “looking forward to adding banners” for Illinois. And every fan in the Illini Nation should be, too.